The Dawn (feminist magazine) facts for kids
Front cover of the first edition, 15 May 1888
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| Editor | Louisa Lawson |
|---|---|
| Frequency | Monthly |
| Founded | 1888 |
| Final issue | 1905 |
| Country | Australia |
| Based in | Sydney |
| Language | English |
The Dawn: A Journal for Australian Women was a special magazine published every month in Sydney, Australia. It came out from 1888 to 1905. This magazine was one of the first to support women's rights in Australia.
Louisa Lawson started The Dawn on May 15, 1888. She used the pen name Dora Falconer. Later, the magazine's subtitle changed to A Journal for the Household. It eventually became the official magazine for the Australian Federation of Women Voters, a group that worked for women's voting rights.
Contents
The Story of The Dawn Magazine
How Louisa Lawson Started It
Louisa Lawson moved to Sydney in 1883 with her children. She worked hard to support them. She was a seamstress (someone who sews clothes) and ran a boarding house (a place where people could rent rooms). During this time, she learned about the idea of women being able to vote.
In 1887, Louisa bought a newspaper called Republican. It was about Australia becoming independent. The next year, in 1888, she started The Dawn magazine.
Why The Dawn Was Created
From the very beginning, The Dawn was meant to be a voice for women. In the first issue, Louisa Lawson wrote about why it was needed. She said that many groups had a way to share their ideas, but women didn't.
She wrote that The Dawn would be "the Australian Woman's Journal and mouthpiece." This meant it would be a place for women to share their problems and opinions.
Facing Challenges: The All-Women Team
The Dawn magazine was special because it was produced entirely by women. This included the editors and the printers. This made some people angry, especially the male trade unionists from the New South Wales Typographical Association.
They were upset because women were paid much less than men. The union argued that women would "work for half the wages a man would require." They also said the printing work was too dangerous for women.
The union tried to stop The Dawn by boycotting it. At one point, a union member even came to their office to yell at the staff. Louisa Lawson bravely threw a bucket of water on him to make him leave!
Louisa Lawson won this fight by being patient and strong. Eventually, the boycott lost its power, and The Dawn continued to be published.
How The Dawn Became Successful
Even with early problems, The Dawn did very well. Louisa Lawson was good at getting lots of advertisements, which helped the magazine earn money. Sometimes, half of the magazine was filled with ads!
She also worked hard to get more readers. She offered prizes to children who helped get new subscribers. She also ran fun competitions inside the magazine. These efforts helped The Dawn last much longer than other women's magazines at the time.
The last issue of The Dawn was published in July 1905. Louisa Lawson decided to stop the magazine because she felt there was no one suitable to continue her work. Her health was also not good, which played a part in her decision.
What Was Inside The Dawn Magazine
Content for Everyone
Louisa Lawson came from a working-class background. This was clear in The Dawn because it was made for a wide audience, not just wealthy people. The magazine was cheap, so working-class families could afford it.
The content also showed this aim. The Dawn included helpful tips for women running a home without servants. It also had:
- Editorials (opinion pieces)
- Articles and columns
- Letters from readers
- Poetry and short stories
- Material for children
- Fashion news
The Dawn was made for the whole family. Important political messages were mixed in with all the other content.
Different Views: The Dawn vs. The Bulletin
The Dawn was often seen as the opposite of The Bulletin, another popular magazine of that time. The Bulletin was mostly for men. These two magazines had very different ideas about the roles of men and women in society.
The Bulletin often showed women as being vain or tricky. But The Dawn had a different view. It talked about men in relation to home life. It argued that women needed to be free and equal for society to improve.
Important Topics for Women
The Dawn discussed many important issues for women. These included:
- The use of corsets (tight-fitting garments)
- Women's right to vote
- Women being overworked
- A woman's role in marriage
Louisa Lawson was also unique because she was one of the only leaders in the Australian women's movement who often talked about abuse within marriage. In The Dawn, she wrote about the power differences in marriage. She encouraged women to fight against unfair situations and find ways to escape them.
The magazine covered both home and public issues, which made it very strong. The Dawn not only showed a certain idea of what a woman should be to argue for voting rights, but it also showed a specific, often not-so-flattering, view of `manhood'. This was to help women gain more power, not just in public life, but also within their homes.
The Impact of The Dawn
The Dawn was read widely in Australia and other countries. Because of its influence, Louisa Lawson was called one of the "earliest Australian women to be influential" in the British movement for women's voting rights.
In Australia, the success of The Dawn led to the creation of the "Dawn Club" in 1889. The Dawn also "helped to pave the way for women's magazines in Australia." It showed that women's experiences, their work, and their writing were important.
How to Find The Dawn Today
You can find copies of The Dawn on microfiche (a type of film that stores documents) in many large Australian libraries.
In 2011, a campaign started to make The Dawn more available. The goal was to raise money to have the National Library of Australia make digital copies of the magazine. This campaign was successful! Enough money was raised before International Women's Day 2011. This meant the digital version became available on International Women's Day 2012, making it easy for many more people to read.
